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Utah's Senate was expected to approve an anti-illegal immigration bill on Friday after the tough bill was softened in response to opposition from businesses and church leaders. In its amended version, the bill would, among other things, force public employers and their contractors to verify the legal status of workers and make it a Class A misdemeanor to transport or shelter undocumented immigrants.

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The Alabama Senate voted 26-6 in favor of passing an anti-illegal immigration measure that is similar to Arizona's controversial immigration law. "This bill is about job creation to ensure that Alabamians who want a job will get a job and won't be denied in lieu of an illegal immigrant or fired to hire an illegal immigrant," said Republican state Sen. Scott Beason, who sponsored the bill. The measure will soon return to the state House of Representatives to be approved and then would need Gov. Robert Bentley's signature.

The Florida Senate has approved amendments to a proposed anti-illegal immigration bill that is similar to Arizona's. The revisions offer alternatives to the use of E-Verify and no longer require the state's public safety institutions to enter into contracts with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Arizona passed a tough anti-illegal immigration law last year, but it now appears to be softening its stance. The state Senate killed five bills related to illegal immigration on Thursday. Some of the measures proposed that hospitals and schools should report patients and students who are illegal immigrants, a move that critics say is overreaching. "It's time for us to take a timeout," said state Sen. John McComish. "It's something that the people don't want us to be focusing on," he added.

Lawmakers in Utah are working to revise an immigration bill to make it more acceptable to business and religious leaders. The original bill would have penalized businesses that employed undocumented workers and made it illegal for churches to provide charitable and humanitarian services to undocumented immigrants.

Members of Utah's Workers Compensation Advisory Council on Wednesday say they oppose a bill that would revoke workers' compensation benefits to injured workers who commit a crime and workers who are illegal immigrants. Supporters of the bill say it is necessary to keep some people from taking advantage of the workers' compensation system.